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### THE KURDUR CONFEDERACY

![Maenad_Confederacy](1)

***A member of the Maenads, their spiritual class***

  The Kurdurs were a a mighty semi-nomadic people, who's kingdom was situated near the the southeastern borders of the empire, beyond the Druvon river. Their origins is a bit muddy, but the earliest mentions of the name "kurdur" appear 4 centuries after the Esavo-Yakovite wars. A notable physical feature of theirs is the extended lower ear lobe, which is similar to some human drawings seen in more ancient pottery around the southern themes.
  It is also notable to mention that although the confederacy had a male head of state, Mal'katyan at the time,  and that all of the tribes were patriarchal in appearance, it was actually their female priestly class, known as the Maenads, who pulled the strings behind the scenes. This was due to the endorsement of polygyny in their society, which the Maenads exploited by sending loyal agents as brides to key political figures. This included Mal'katyan, who had 18 wives, from whom allegedly 12 were such agents and had great influence on the inner politics of the state.
  There is a famous tragedy, which happened during that time. The son of one of the stronger tribe's leader, Uspurjah, was sent at an early age to study at Koronstinop, the city at the Hollon strait. Due to Thrixian influence, he refused to engage in sexual immorality and strived to remain pure, which made him surprisingly very sought after by women, especially the great Bacchae, the spiritual leader. Only one would unintentionally take his heart, a gorgeous and innocent young lady by the name of Friska, who was being trained to be a Maenad. Their relationship could remain secret for so long, before the higher-ups would take notice. Numerous attempts were made to separate Uspurjah from Friska by offering brides to no avail. The Morg'Ar invasion offered a great opportunity to end this relationship, but i shall stop here, as i highly recommend you to read the tragedy yourself. I will send you a copy soon.

Besides the eastern migrations, the Morgs also caused a crisis from the southwest parts of the empire, which culminated in the Sunai uprising, a very devastating conflict.